Redmen hold off Beverly
Advance to final in North
TEWKSBURY – After a Div. 3 North semifinal that saw a three-possession lead in the fourth quarter quickly turn into a one-score game yesterday, the hearts of many Tewksbury football fans might still be pounding.
Two touchdowns from Kyle Darrigo, a powerful mix of running plays and a lockdown defensive performance against the pass had the Redmen up big entering the final quarter, only for No. 5 Beverly to rally with two touchdowns for a comeback charge.
The Panthers had a chance to tie, but Tewksbury made one more stop before running out the clock to hold on for 21-14 win at Doucette Stadium.
Darrigo, fellow back Jack Kelly and the defense were nearly unstoppable for much of the game to help build what turned out to be a critical, 21-point lead. And yet, as the Redmen (8-1) head to the final Saturday at 1:30 p.m. against Danvers, they seemingly just barely scraped past the resilient Panthers (5-4).
“If you’re still in the tournament at this point, you’re a good team,” said Tewksbury head coach Brian Aylward. “We have plenty to go back and work at, but we did an awful lot of good things, I’m not going to let (anything) detract from that. I thought our guys battled.”
While the Redmen produced a big lead behind touchdowns from Darrigo and Kelly on 203 rushing yards through three quarters, the Beverly defense still gave them their fair share of trouble, forcing a pair of turnover-on-downs on promising drives. Once the Panthers finally found some momentum on offense in the fourth, that trouble came back to bite.
Quarterback Ryan Barror connected with Duncan Moreland on a 12-yard touchdown pass to get on the board early in the final frame, before the defense forced a quick three-and-out thereafter. A tricky screen pass to tight end Bobby Adams turned into a 68-yard touchdown, and after another forced punt on just six plays, Beverly got the ball back down a touchdown with four minutes to go.
But just as it did when it held Barror to 3-of-15 passing in the first half, the Tewksbury defense forced three straight incompletions and a punt. That sparked the offense to shake off its 2.8 yards per carry in the quarter with a couple first down runs to seal the win. Tewksbury quarterback Jay Connolly gave the defense a lot of credit for the win.
“We knew (Beverly) wouldn’t lay down,” he said. “Our defense played great to hold them on that last drive. I’m proud of our defense.” Up until the fourth, Darrigo and Shane Aylward benefitted from sweeps and stretch plays to the outside while Kelly and Kalu Olu pounded the middle. That led to a 5-yard TD run from Darrigo in the first quarter, a 5-yard TD run from Kelly in the second, and Darrigo’s 2-yard touchdown in the third. Darrigo finished with 74 yards, while Kelly posted 67 and Aylward had 46.
The defense, in the meantime, plugged up any run attempts between the tackles while limiting the passing game. Its strength, especially at the line, played a vital role in getting the lead to where it was before the fourth.